Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Blog Kiosk: 8/22/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

We were witness to a strange and yet fantastic ritual before yesterday's game. Justin Turner, as the eclipse was in full swing, got down on his knees, performed an ancient hand gesture consisting of interlocking middle fingers to form a "w" for winning, and then yelled to get the attention of the bright red sun god in the sky. His bright orange hair immediately burst into flames. Then, like a flash, JT returned to his normal self. I kid you not!

Yasiel Puig, on the other hand, used his newfound powers attained by following in JT's footsteps to help the Dodgers to victory last night. In the 12th inning of a tied game Puig came up and slugged a go-ahead home run for the Dodgers. Per Adam Berry and Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"I was just trying to put the ball in play," Puig said. "I was waiting on the fastball, that's his best pitch and the one I struggle with. But I put a good swing on it."

Photo above via Justin Turner on twitter and the pic of Puig via his twitter. BTW, these two jokesters also recreated yesterday's solar eclipse, and it's hilarious. Check that out at the very bottom of this post. Below are more links to check out:

This Day in Dodgers History: In 1948 the Dodgers recorded a triple steal in the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. Jackie Robinson stole home, Gene Hermanski took third and Pee Wee Reese swiped second base. In 1965 Giants hurler Juan Marichal attacked Johnny Roseboro with his bat while at the plate. He had been buzzing Dodger batters all day, so Roseboro decided to throw a baseball back to his pitcher while at the same time making sure it barely missed Marichal's face. Quickly, benches cleared and a brawl commenced. See the pic on the right to see what I mean. In 2000 Eric Karros becomes the first Dodger in franchise history to hit two home runs in one inning. It was against the Expos.

Video: Curtis Granderson speaks with Alanna Rizzo after hitting a grand-slam against the Pirates on Monday night. (video link)

Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com; "Kershaw to make rehab start on Saturday: Lefty ace has successful four-inning simulated game Monday."

"He's getting close," Roberts said after Kershaw threw 55 pitches to test the strained lower back that put him on the disabled list July 24. "There's zero chance [of Kershaw starting for the Dodgers on Saturday instead]. There's a level of intensity that continues to heighten, from bullpen to simulated game to Triple-A where you're competing. You continue to ramp up as far as intensity, and crossing that marker makes everyone feel better."

An impatient Kershaw believes the rehab start is unnecessary.

"Health-wise, I could have pitched in the big leagues 10 days ago. But that's not the plan, obviously," Kershaw said. "I don't feel I missed much time. I kept throwing all the way through. I guess it's the luxury we have as a team.

Copping earned his Pitcher of the Week honors by having a near-immaculate week. In three appearances, with three saves over 3.2 innings, he allowed only one base runner via a walk and struck out four. In one of his appearances he preserved a two-run lead while in the other two he had only one run with which to work.

Another 2017 draft pick, Wong, a third-rounder, also had a big night Monday. The Houston alum was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer as low Class A Great Lakes beat Fort Wayne (Padres) 5-3. Wong is slashing .257/.321/.471 in low Class A and after playing a multitude of positions in college has exclusively been a catcher in pro ball.

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“There’s nothing like wearing a Dodger jersey. There’s nothing like it in sports. I don’t care that I’ve never been anywhere else. I don’t care. There’s nothing like wearing a Dodger jersey.” -- A.J. Ellis